Hypnotize the Moon

Last updated
Hypnotize the Moon
Clay Walker - Hypnotize the Moon.jpg
Studio album by
Clay Walker
ReleasedOctober 17, 1995
Recorded1995
StudioNashville TN, Loud Recording, 50 Music Square West, 16th Avenue Sound, Sound Stage Studio, 10 Music Circle South
Genre Country
Length35:51
Label Giant
Producer James Stroud
Clay Walker chronology
If I Could Make a Living
(1994)		Hypnotize the Moon
(1995)		 Rumor Has It
(1997)
Singles from Hypnotize the Moon
  1. "Who Needs You Baby"
    Released: September 12, 1995
  2. "Hypnotize the Moon"
    Released: January 8, 1996
  3. "Only on Days That End in "Y""
    Released: May 27, 1996
  4. "Bury the Shovel"
    Released: September 16, 1996

Hypnotize the Moon is the third studio album by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released October 17, 1995, on Giant Records. It was the third consecutive album of his career to earn RIAA platinum certification for U.S. shipments of one million copies, although it was also the first album of his career not to produce any Number One hits. Released from this album were, in order: "Who Needs You Baby", the title track, "Only on Days That End in 'Y'", and "Bury the Shovel". Respectively, these reached #2, #2, #5, and #18 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. "Love You Like You Love Me" was co-written by Steve Wariner, who later recorded it on his 1998 album Burnin' the Roadhouse Down .

Contents

Background

In an interview with the Houston Chronicle Walker stated about the album "I'm not trying to change country music; I want to be part of it, country music radio has really been the key for us. They've been behind us from the beginning, especially in this area." [1] During an interview with The Grand Rapids Press Walker said, "The third album has to be a landmark album for us. It has to take me to the next level." He also stated, "I know for sure that this is the best album I've ever done. I'm just so proud of it." [2]

Walker told Country Song Roundup, "The first album, I had a lot of very raw sound and it was a new beginning for me. The second album I stretched out of that one and tried to find my limitations. This album is something that I'm going to be proud of 20 years from now." [3] In a press release for the album Walker stated, "I really wanted this album to be more traditional country than anything I've ever done. That's why I wrote and looked for songs that were more in that vein." In another interview with Country Song Roundup Walker said, "I try to record music that is going to be played on the radio twenty years from now. It's hard to make songs stand out with so many artists and songs out there." [4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Entertainment Weekly B+ [6]
USA Today Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]

The editors at Billboard wrote in their review of the album "Walker is a big-voiced Texas singer with smart song selection and a minimalist honky-tonk production. He sounds unassuming until you realize that's what he's all about. He gets in your yard without ever getting in your face. Very intelligent use of fiddle and steel here." [8] Helen Thompson of Texas Monthly wrote, "Hypnotize the Moon, is already flying out of stores. Attribute his success to a knack for writing mainstream country songs or to his engaging modesty--or even to his tight blue jeans, which he wears in his sexy videos and onstage." [9]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote, " Walker shines on both polished, contemporary ballads and gritty traditional country, and his consistently excellent performance is what carries the album over the weak spots." [5] David Zimmerman of USA Today gave the album two stars and wrote, "The follow-up to Walker's successful debut album, If I Could Make a Living, doesn't have as much verve or as many catchy hooks. But Walker's workmanlike approach and believable delivery give emotional heft to the waltz." [7] Alanna Nash of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+ rating and wrote that Walker is "only as memorable as his songs, and in this case, that's enough. Whether you favor the Haggardesque Let Me Take the Heartache (Off Your Hands) or the MOR title ballad, he's one cookie-cutter sensation who isn't likely to crumble. [6]

Richard McVey II of Country Standard Time gave the album a positive review and wrote, "Be prepared for an abundance of fiddle and steel guitar on an album that will no doubt continue Walker's string of platinum success." [3] Mario Tarradell of The Dallas Morning News said, "His third album, Hypnotize the Moon, is filled with the same type of radio-friendly ballads and mass-appeal up-tempo numbers that took his first two CDs to platinum." [10]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Who Needs You Baby" Clay Walker, Kim Williams, Randy Boudreaux 2:48
2."I Won't Have the Heart"Walker, Williams, Kent Blazy 2:54
3."Let Me Take the Heartache (Off Your Hands)"Walker, Williams, Blazy3:17
4."Hypnotize the Moon" Eric Kaz, Steve Dorff 3:39
5."Hand Me Down Heart"Zack Turner, Lonnie Wilson 3:06
6."Only on Days That End in "Y"" Richard Fagan 2:46
7."Where Were You" Tim Mensy 3:46
8."Loving You Comes Naturally to Me"Ray Methvin, Tim Johnson, Roger Springer 3:24
9."Bury the Shovel"Chris Arms, Chuck Jones3:27
10."A Cowboy's Toughest Ride"Walker, Williams, Boudreaux3:12
11."Love Me Like You Love Me" Steve Wariner, Bill LaBounty 3:42

Personnel

Strings performed by the Nashville String Machine, contracted by Carl Gorodetzsky, conducted and arranged by Steve Dorff. [11]

Chart performance

The album debuted at number 11 and moved 20,000 units during its first week. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clay Walker</span> American country musician

Ernest Clayton Walker Jr. is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1993 with the single "What's It to You", which reached Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, as did its follow-up, 1994's "Live Until I Die". Both singles were included on his self-titled debut album, released in 1993 via Giant Records. He stayed with the label until its 2001 closure, later recording for Warner Bros. Records, RCA Records Nashville, and Curb Records.

<i>Clay Walker</i> (album) 1993 studio album by Clay Walker

Clay Walker is the debut studio album by the American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in 1993 on Giant Records and produced by James Stroud. The album produced four singles on the Billboard country music charts, of which three — "What's It to You", "Live Until I Die" and "Dreaming with My Eyes Open" — reached Number One. Respectively, these were the first, second, and fourth singles from the album. The third single, "Where Do I Fit in the Picture", peaked at No. 11. Additionally, "White Palace" peaked at No. 67 based on unsolicited airplay.

<i>If I Could Make a Living</i> 1994 studio album by Clay Walker

If I Could Make a Living is the second studio album by American country music singer Clay Walker, released in 1994 on Giant Records. Like his self-titled debut album, this album was certified platinum by the RIAA. It produced the singles "If I Could Make a Living", "This Woman and This Man", and "My Heart Will Never Know", which respectively reached #1, #1, and #16 on the Hot Country Songs charts.

<i>Take Me as I Am</i> (Faith Hill album) 1993 studio album by Faith Hill

Take Me as I Am is the debut studio album by American country music singer Faith Hill, released on October 12, 1993, by Warner Bros. Nashville. The album has been certified 3× platinum in the United States for shipments of three million copies.

<i>It Matters to Me</i> 1995 studio album by Faith Hill

It Matters to Me is the second studio album by American country music artist Faith Hill. It was released in August 1995 via Warner Bros. Records Nashville. Certified 4× Multi-Platinum by RIAA for shipments of four million copies, it produced five Top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts: "Let's Go to Vegas", the title track, "Someone Else's Dream", "You Can't Lose Me", and "I Can't Do That Anymore".

<i>I Hope You Dance</i> (album) 2000 studio album by Lee Ann Womack

I Hope You Dance is the third studio album by American country music singer Lee Ann Womack. It was released on May 23, 2000, as her first album for MCA Nashville. The title track was a crossover hit in 2000, becoming Womack's only number one single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, while "Ashes by Now", "Why They Call It Falling", and "Does My Ring Burn Your Finger" also peaked in the top 40 region of that chart.

<i>Lee Ann Womack</i> (album) 1997 studio album by Lee Ann Womack

Lee Ann Womack is the debut studio album by American country music singer Lee Ann Womack. The album was certified gold by the RIAA on January 16, 1998, and platinum on September 24, 1999. Hits that appeared on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart were "Never Again, Again" which peaked at #23, "The Fool" and "You've Got to Talk to Me" both at #2, and "Buckaroo" at #27. The album itself topped out at #9 on the Top Country Albums chart.

<i>Walls Can Fall</i> 1992 studio album by George Jones

Walls Can Fall is an album by American country music artist George Jones. This album was released in 1992 on the MCA Nashville Records. It peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and number 77 on The Billboard 200 chart. Walls Can Fall went Gold in 1994.

<i>Sevens</i> (album) 1997 studio album by Garth Brooks

Sevens is the seventh studio album by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released on November 25, 1997, and debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, and on the Top Country Albums chart. To date, it is Brooks' last studio album to be certified diamond by the RIAA. The album also topped the Country album charts in Britain for several months and crossed over into the mainstream pop charts. His duet with Trisha Yearwood, "In Another's Eyes", won the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals at the Grammy Awards of 1998. Sevens was nominated for the Best Country Album Grammy the following year.

<i>Who I Am</i> (Alan Jackson album) 1994 studio album by Alan Jackson

Who I Am is the fourth major-label studio album by American country music artist Alan Jackson. The album was released on June 28, 1994, via Arista Records. It features the Number One singles "Summertime Blues", "Gone Country", "Livin' on Love", and "I Don't Even Know Your Name", and the #6-peaking "Song for the Life".

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Clay Walker album) 1998 greatest hits album by Clay Walker

Greatest Hits is the first compilation album by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in 1998. Two previously unreleased tracks are included on this album; both were issued as singles in 1998. The former peaked at #35 on the Billboard country charts, while the latter was a #2 hit for Walker.

<i>Rumor Has It</i> (Clay Walker album) 1997 studio album by Clay Walker

Rumor Has It is the fourth studio album by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released April 8, 1997, on Giant Records. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA and reached #32 on the Billboard album charts. Singles released from it include the title track, "One, Two, I Love You", "Watch This", and "Then What?", which respectively reached #1, #18, #4, and #2 on the Hot Country Songs charts between 1997 and 1998.

<i>Live, Laugh, Love</i> (album) 1999 studio album by Clay Walker

Live, Laugh, Love is the fifth studio album by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released August 24, 1999, on Giant Records. The album was certified gold by the RIAA and reached number 55 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. "She's Always Right", the title track, "The Chain of Love" and "Once in a Lifetime" were all released as singles, reaching numbers 16, 11, 3 and 50, respectively, on the Hot Country Songs chart. In addition, Walker's rendition of the Earl Thomas Conley single "Holding Her and Loving You" charted from unsolicited airplay received prior to the album's release.

<i>Say No More</i> (Clay Walker album) 2001 studio album by Clay Walker

Say No More is the sixth studio album by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released on March 27, 2001, as his last studio album for the Giant Records label. After this album's release, Giant Records closed its doors. The album reached #129 on the Billboard album charts. The album's two singles were its title track and "If You Ever Feel Like Loving Me Again", both of which were minor Top 40 hits on the Hot Country Songs charts. In addition to these singles, the album features a cover of Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba".

<i>A Few Questions</i> 2003 studio album by Clay Walker

A Few Questions is the seventh studio album by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released September 9, 2003. The album reached #23 on Billboard magazine's album chart. Released from this album were the singles "A Few Questions" and "I Can't Sleep", both of which reached Top Ten on the Hot Country Songs charts. "Jesus Was a Country Boy" reached #31 on the same chart. This was also Walker's only studio album for the RCA label, after Giant Records closed its doors in 2001.

<i>Fall</i> (Clay Walker album) 2007 studio album by Clay Walker

Fall is the eighth studio album by American country music singer Clay Walker, released in 2007 by Asylum-Curb Records. Its first single was "'Fore She Was Mama", which reached #21 on the Hot Country Songs charts in mid-2007. Following this song was the title track, which reached #5 on the same chart and became Walker's first Top Five country hit since "The Chain of Love" in 2000. "Fall" was also covered by Kimberley Locke, whose own version was a single as well. The third and final single from this album, "She Likes It in the Morning", peaked at #43. Also included is a cover of Freddy Fender's "Before the Next Teardrop Falls", recorded here as a duet with Fender. This cover is also Walker's first duet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">This Woman and This Man</span> 1994 single by Clay Walker

"This Woman And This Man" is a song written by Jeff Pennig and Michael Lunn, and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in December 1994 as the second single from his album If I Could Make a Living. The song reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

Clay Walker is an American country music artist. His discography comprises eleven studio albums and a greatest hits album, as well as 36 singles. Walker's first four studio albums—Clay Walker, If I Could Make a Living, Hypnotize the Moon and Rumor Has It—are all certified platinum by the RIAA, and his greatest hits album and Live, Laugh, Love are each certified gold by the RIAA. Clay Walker is also certified platinum by the CRIA, while If I Could Make a Living and Hypnotize the Moon are certified gold.

<i>Mark Wills</i> (album) 1996 studio album by Mark Wills

Mark Wills is the debut studio album by American country music singer Mark Wills. Released in 1996 on Mercury Nashville Records, the album produced three hit singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts: "Jacob's Ladder", "High Low and In Between", and "Places I've Never Been", which peaked at #6, #33, and #5, respectively. The album itself reached a peak of #38 on the Billboard Top Country Albums charts. "Look Where She Is Today" was previously cut by Doug Stone on his 1995 album Faith in Me, Faith in You. And "Ace of Hearts" was previously cut by Alan Jackson on his 1990 debut album Here in the Real World.

<i>Burnin the Roadhouse Down</i> 1998 studio album by Steve Wariner

Burnin' the Roadhouse Down is the thirteenth studio album by American country music artist Steve Wariner, released on April 21, 1998. It was the first of three albums that he recorded for Capitol Nashville after having been dropped from Arista Records' roster in 1996. It was the second album of Wariner's career to achieve RIAA gold certification for U.S. sales of 500,000 copies, and it produced four Top 40 hit singles for Wariner on the Billboard country charts.

References

  1. ↑ Mitchell, Rick Houston Chronicle 17 February 1996. ONE HOT TICKET/Clay Walker in the middle of awesome dream
  2. ↑ Gonzalez, John D. The Grand Rapids Press Walker is no stroller in fast rise to the top (11 June 1995)
  3. 1 2 McVey Richard II. Country Standard Time Hypnotize the Moon
  4. ↑ Clay, Walker Biography [ permanent dead link ]
  5. 1 2 Thomas, Stephen (1995-10-17). "Hypnotize the Moon - Clay Walker". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-08-03.
  6. 1 2 Nash, Alanna. Entertainment Weekly Hypnotize the Moon Review(Nov 10, 1995)
  7. 1 2 Zimmerman, David USA Today Pumpkins' double set smashing; Green Day sleepwalks (8 November 1995)
  8. ↑ "Album reviews: Country." Billboard 107.50 (1995): 99. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.
  9. ↑ Thompson, Helen. "Clay Walker." Texas Monthly 23.11 (1995): 33. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 18 May 2011.
  10. ↑ Tarradell, Mario The Dallas Morning News. Southern lights; Headliners lend star power to the KSCS Country Fail (April 26, 1996)
  11. ↑ Hypnotize the Moon (CD liner notes). Clay Walker. Giant Records. 1995. 9 14640-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ↑ Jessen, Wade. "Country corner." Billboard 107.44 (1995): 59. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 18 May 2011.
  13. ↑ "Gold & Platinum - September 11. 1996". RIAA. Archived from the original on 2013-02-25. Retrieved 2011-07-07.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.